The area that acts as a boundary or a transition zone between two ecosystems is known as

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Correct — D, Ecotone. An ecotone is a transitional zone between two distinct ecosystems or biological communities (e.g. where a forest meets a grassland, or land meets water). It often has features of both bordering ecosystems and, due to the 'edge effect,' can support greater species diversity than either community alone.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) The ecosphere (biosphere) refers to the entire global zone of life on Earth — a totally different scale from a local transition zone between two ecosystems.  (b) Not a standard ecological term used for this concept — the established term is 'ecotone.'  (c) Not a recognised ecological term at all — a distractor with no scientific meaning.

Concept: An ecotone is the transition zone where two ecosystems or biological communities meet and overlap (e.g. forest-grassland, land-water). Because it shares species and conditions from both adjoining zones, an ecotone often shows the 'edge effect' — higher species density and diversity than the interior of either neighbouring community.

State PCS 2022 Q5 — Environment & Ecology PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2022 Q5 — Environment & Ecology PYQ with Answer